Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of the subjects
| Description | Asthmatics | Controls | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthropometry | |||
| Biological sex, n (%) | |||
| Males | 77(70.64) | 99(62.66) | 0.176 |
| Females | 32(29.36) | 59(37.34) | |
| Age, median (IQR),year | 6(4,8) | 6(4,8) | 0.383 |
| BMI, median (IQR), kg/m2 | 16.07(15.17,18.53) | 15.74(12.13,16.66) | 0.015 |
| Exposure factors | |||
| Feeding patterns, n (%) | |||
| Artificial/mixed feeding | 86(78.90) | 129(81.65) | 0.578 |
| Breastfeeding | 23(21.10) | 29(18.35) | |
| Allergen exposure, n (%) | |||
| Yes | 75(68.81) | 15(9.49) | < 0.001 |
| No | 34(31.19) | 143(90.51) | |
| ETS exposure, n (%) | |||
| Yes | 29(26.61) | 9(5.70) | < 0.001 |
| No | 80(73.39) | 149(94.30) | |
| Pet exposure, n (%) | |||
| Yes | 27(24.77) | 34(21.52) | 0.534 |
| No | 82(75.23) | 124(78.48) | |
| Residence, n (%) | |||
| Urban | 75(68.81) | 83(52.53) | 0.008 |
| Rural | 34(31.19) | 75(47.47) | |
| Laboratory indices | |||
| EOS(%) | 5.00 ± 5.52 | NA | |
| IgE(IU/ml) | 256.86 ± 390.27 | NA | |
| Spirometry | |||
| FVC% preda | 92.12 ± 22.30 | NA | |
| FEV1 (%)a | 83.90 ± 17.59 | NA | |
| FEV1/FVCa | 78.87 ± 12.28 | NA | |
| PEF% preda | 68.11 ± 18.41 | NA | |
| FEF25% preda | 66.36 ± 20.94 | NA | |
| FEF50% preda | 61.44 ± 24.49 | NA | |
| FEF75% preda | 52.46 ± 26.90 | NA | |
| MMEF% preda | 58.50 ± 24.55 | NA |
Comparison of biological sex and exposure factors between two groups used χ2 test, while age and BMI used Mann-Whitney test. The values p < 0.05 were in bold
Abbreviations: ETS environmental tobacco smoke, BMI body mass index
aBaseline pulmonary function of asthmatic children aged ≥5 years